Test 2 Flashcards
What are the two requirements of information processing?
1) An organism must have units/cells that can be in one of two states
2) The state of one unit/cell must be able to influence the state of another unit/cell
All living cells possess what?
An electrical charge
Why are brain cells special?
The have the ability to temporarily alteer their own polarity
What are the two types of brain cells?
Neurons and Glial Cells
Pyramidal, basket, chandelier are examples of what type of brain cells?
Neurons
What are the four types of glial cells?
astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, schwann cells, microglia
What were glial cells originally thought to be used for?
support
What do glial cells do for support?
hold neurons in place, supply nutrients and chemicals, insulate neurons from one another, housekeeping
What do glial cells do for information processing?
regulate formation of new connections between neurons, control strength of connections between neurons, coordinate activity among sets of neurons, communicate amongst themselves
Which glial cells function in the central nervous system?
astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia
What do astrocytes do?
provide structural and nutritional support for neurons, isolation of the synapse, debris cleanup, blood-brain barrier, participation in chemical signaling
What do oligodendrocytes do?
myelination of axons in CNS
What do schwann cells do?
myelination of axons in pns
What do microglia do?
debris cleanup
oligodendrocytes inhibit what?
axonal regeneration
schwann cells enable axonal regeneration after injury. Why is this important?
Allows reattachment of severed limbs
What are the steps to creating an action potential?
1) resting potential
2) Post-synaptic potentials
3) Action Potential
4) Refractory Period
What a neuron is in the off state, it is _____ inside
negative
What happens at the axon hillock?
The decision is made whether or not to act on a message
What are the nodes of ranvier?
spaces on axons that aren’t myelinated
What do the nodes of ranvier do?
regenerate positivity of the axon
Why are unmyelinated axons slow?
They have holes that leak Na+, so channels have to continuously open to allow Na+ to come back in
What does Sarin do?
destroys acetycholinesterase, which breaks down acetylcholine
What are the three classes of neurochemicals?
Neurotransmitters, neuromodifiers, neurohormone
What is a neurotransmitter?
A chemical released specifically on a dendrite to transmit a message
What is a neuromodifier?
A chemical that is released in a spritz and modifies a message
What is a neurohormone?
a chemical that floats through the bloodstream and acts on target organs or neurons
What are the two types of small-molecule neurochemicals?
monoamines and amino acids
Acetylcholine is a type of what?
It is in a group of its own!
What are amino acids?
ligands for ionotropic receptors
What are the most important chemicals in the brain?
amino acids
What amino acid is excitatory?
glutamate
Glutamate binds with what?
sodium ionotropic receptor
What animo acid is inhibitory?
GABA